One of the activities of the Federal Assembly is parliamentary hearings. They represent a weighting of decisions and opinions of members of parliament and experts on their issues. Hearings are held in accordance with Art. 101 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, but not every ordinary citizen knows about all their nuances and difficulties.
Structure of the Federal Assembly
The Federal Assembly consists of two chambers: Upper - Council of Federations and Lower - State Duma. Both structures sit separately, but during the parliamentary hearings, the invited deputies sit in the same room. The Federal Assembly is considered an open structure, but has the right to hold closed meetings and assemblies in cases when it comes to state secrets.
Both houses have legislative powers. Bills are being put forward in the State Duma , which, with the approval of deputies, are submitted to the Council of Federations for further promulgation and legalization of laws (no longer bills).
Essence of the hearing
The meaning of the hearings is a general discussion of important pressing issues. The State Duma and the Council of Federations hold hearings on those issues that are defined by law as their area of jurisdiction:
- discussion of the concept of legislation, foreign policy treaties;
- hearing annual government performance reports;
- the appointment or removal of the chairman of the Central Bank, the Accounts Chamber, the Commissioner for Human Rights;
- abolition of punishment (amnesty);
- charges against the president.
The holding of parliamentary hearings by the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation is carried out with the help of an interim committee of organizers. The organizing committee is elected directly by the chairman of the Federation Council, this takes several weeks.
Organization of hearings
In accordance with Art. 84 and 85 hearings are held at the request of the State Duma or the Federation Council, the committee and commissions, as well as individual factions. The preparation of the parliamentary hearings is entrusted to the corresponding commission of the Council of Federations, with at least 15 organizers. The commission is prepared by the chairman of the Council of Federations. The decision on the amount of funding for the hearings is taken by the Chamber Council. The circle of invited persons is also determined by the responsible commission, but the chairman can add to the list. The Council may hold both open and closed hearings. Information about the time and place of the hearing is transmitted to the media no later than 10 days before the event. Hearings are held annually, possibly more often as needed.
Discussion of the parliamentary hearings in the Duma, together with the Duma committees and commissions, as well as with the parliaments of foreign states, is standard practice in putting foreign and other especially important issues on the agenda. The venue of the hearings is not clearly regulated, so they can be held on the basis of both the Duma and the Federation Council.
Who is involved
In addition to members of the Council of Federations, the following may take part in the hearings:
- President of the Russian Federation and government representative.
- members of the State Duma.
- first deputy heads of state executive bodies;
- Chairmen of the Supreme and Arbitration Courts;
- Chairman and Deputy Audit Chamber, auditors;
- human rights ombudsman;
- Attorney General
- Chairman of the Central Election Commission;
- Media and public figures.
In the case of closed hearings, the list of invitees is compiled separately. It never includes public figures and the media. If parliamentary hearings are closed, then state secrets are discussed there . Prior to the hearing, the responsible commission draws up bills as necessary, which are planned to be discussed at the hearing itself.
Proceedings
The duration of the hearings is not regulated and depends on the nature of the issues discussed. The chairperson begins by informing parliament about the substance of the issue under discussion and introducing invited persons. After that, the floor is given to the head of the commission for the preparation of parliamentary hearings or to an individual to make the issue public in more detail (no more than 30 minutes per report). Then members of the Council of Federations and invited persons take the floor. The committee decides to adjourn if the hearing is delayed. During parliamentary hearings in the Council of Federations, everyone who wants to speak out first asks for the words of the chair. This ensures order and silence in the audience.
The following aspects may be discussed in parliamentary hearings:
- bills;
- international instruments requiring ratification;
- federal budget redistribution projects;
- extremely important issues of domestic and foreign policy.
Thus, a fairly wide range of legislative issues are discussed at the hearings.
Must be negotiable
Most bills do not require discussion in the form of hearings, but if the draft or treaty is on the following list, then it is discussed by the entire Federal Assembly:
- reallocation of the budget of any ministry;
- conclusion or termination of a peace treaty, declaration of war;
- ratification of an international treaty;
- removal from the post of chairman of the government, president.
Thus, at the hearings, the full disclosure of the external or internal global problem and its explanation to the whole Council is ensured. This allows you to listen to all possible proposals from deputies of all parties and factions, rather than discussing the law exclusively in the Duma.
Legal framework for the hearing
The holding of parliamentary hearings by the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation is one of the activities of this structure. It is carried out on her initiative and with the help of a reporting committee. Based on Art. 89 on the procedure for conducting during the hearing, invited persons have the right to leave the question of the Council of Federations unanswered if this is information of state or other protected secret.
During the hearings, the responsible commission keeps a protocol and a transcript, and the chairperson monitors the order and progress of the discussion of the urgent issue. All documents adopted during the hearing are approved by the chairperson. Open hearing materials are covered after the hearing. Closed meeting materials are provided only to invited persons.
Parliamentary hearings in the State Duma and the Council of Federations clarify issues only of their jurisdiction in accordance with Art. 102 and 103 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The safety of parliamentary hearings is ensured not only by the competent authorities, but also by the parliamentary investigation in case of violation of the rules. Parliamentary investigations are the highest legal form of control over the executive branch.
Hearing Summary
Based on the results of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation parliamentary hearings, the responsible commission prepares recommendations, bills and other documents. On average, about 100 hearings are held annually, in which from 100 to 200 people participate. As a rule, the hearings are open, and everyone after them can get acquainted with the essence of the matter. But holding closed hearings is important for discussing confidential government information. All laws adopted during the hearing remain for further discussion in the Council of Federations, and then are sent for signature to the president.
In other countries
If in the Russian Federation parliamentary hearings are created for the most part to discuss a finished bill or ratify a treaty, then, for example, in the United States during a hearing, bills are drafted and approved on the spot.
In the UK, there is no clear regulation on parliamentary hearings. However, this does not mean that chaos is happening in parliament. On the contrary, all the rules are in different regulatory documents, they are "codified." However, the standing rules may be suspended during the meeting on the proposal of the majority. The organization and dissolution of parliamentary and community sessions is the exclusive prerogative of the head of state, that is, the queen. These points are prepared through the prime minister.
Let parliamentary hearings be held differently in different countries. In the UK and the USA, bills are discussed in English, in Russia - in Russian. Thus, parliamentary hearings are an important legal right of the Federal Assembly to regulate the legislative policy of the Russian Federation and resolve important external and internal issues.